Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The New York Jets nightmare continues as their already depleted secondary has lost starting cornerback Dee Milliner after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Sunday's game, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Milliner was hurt about two minutes into the game while playing on special teams during a Broncos field goal attempt. As he crumpled to the turf, Milliner was helped up by team trainers, but couldn’t put any weight on the leg.
Milliner was taken to the locker room and seen leaving MetLife Stadium on a cart after the game, crutches at his side. The injury he suffered was a freakish, bizarre play where he was rushing the kicker on a Denver field-goal attempt. Milliner fell to the turf without any contact with an opposing player. As a key member of the Jets' secondary corps, many find it odd that he was even on the field in that situation.

Head coach Rex Ryan spoke about Milliner on Monday morning:

Dee Milliner was going to be ... is going to be an outstanding player. I know he hasn't been out there as much as we would've liked, but the young man has tons of talent. It's just a matter of him staying healthy. The loss of Milliner hurts, there's no doubt about it. You move on.

Milliner was expected to be the team’s top cornerback, pairing with free-agent signing Dimitri Patterson in the secondary. With Patterson released before the season began, Milliner was slated as New York's primary shutdown cornerback.

The rehab period for a torn Achilles tendon generally is six to nine months which means Milliner, who has been officially placed on the injured-reserve list today, will miss the entire 2015 offseason and possibly the start of training camp next July.

To replace Milliner, the Jets signed veteran free agent Josh Thomas, who was released last week by the Seattle Seahawks. Thomas has played a total of 41 games for the Carolina Panthers and Seahawks. He has one career interception and two fumble recoveries, and has played only six defensive snaps in three games with the Seahawks this season.